Italian Marriage: In Name Only (13 page)

Had he imagined that?

His gaze lingered on the softness of her lips.

‘We should go, otherwise we’ll be late.’ Her voice was husky and uncertain.

She was wondering about it, too—he just knew it.

‘Victoria, about that kiss the other night—’

‘I don’t think we should talk about that.’ Instantly she sounded embarrassed.

He smiled teasingly. ‘I was just going to say it was surprisingly pleasurable.’

‘Was it? I didn’t notice.’ She forced herself to try and sound glib but suddenly she ached for him to lean closer, to hold her, and to take possession of her lips. The intensity of that feeling made her freeze inside, because it was crazy and it would only lead to heartache—she knew the score.

‘You didn’t notice?’ He sounded amused.

‘No…not really.’ Fiercely she tipped her chin up and met his gaze.

‘Must have been my imagination then…or maybe we should try it again—see what happens?’

‘We can’t…’ Her heart was pounding against her ribs now.

‘There is no such thing as can’t.’ He stroked a stray strand of her hair back from her face and the gesture made the ache inside of her turn to a burning chasm.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her. For an instant she tried to pull away, but he held her firm, his mouth taking full possession of hers in a dominant way that made her senses spin. And she realized she didn’t want to pull back; she realized she wanted this…wanted him.

The kiss was no gentle exploration of feeling; it was full-on intense passion—and the sensation was even more pleasurable than last time. Desire flooded through her so powerfully that it shook her to her core. She felt as if her body was wakening up, coming alive after a long winter in hibernation. She wanted to move even closer; she wanted so much more.

The sound of people approaching made them break apart. And she stared up at him as reality returned and consternation replaced passion.

‘We shouldn’t have done that,’ she whispered.

The people they had heard were walking around the corner
now, their voices and their laughter sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness of the night. They passed by and Victoria was vaguely aware of the swish of long ball gowns and the smell of expensive perfume.

Then they were alone again.

What was Antonio thinking? she wondered as she looked up at him. His features were so inscrutable.

‘Maybe you’re right—we shouldn’t have done that,’ he agreed easily. ‘However, don’t try and tell me that you didn’t enjoy it because I won’t believe you.’

He was so damn arrogant! She forced herself to keep her head held high. ‘I wasn’t going to say that…. Actually, I was going to say that the ambience of our surroundings is obviously having an effect. But it’s still a foolish mistake.’

He smiled suddenly, his dark eyes teasing. ‘As foolish mistakes go—very enjoyable.’

There were more people coming along the path now. ‘Come on. We’ll talk about this later.’ He reached out and took hold of her hand and they continued walking.

‘I’d rather just forget it.’ Even as she said the words she was aware that the touch of his hand was sending conflicting thoughts racing through her. Hastily she pulled away from him.

Antonio wasn’t used to women doing that. But she was probably right. He knew that he was on dangerous territory with this. They had an agreement and he didn’t want to complicate that. However, the more she tried to back away from him, the more he wanted to reel her in—why was that? He frowned. Was it simply the thrill of the chase…something he wasn’t used to?

As they turned the corner Victoria saw the Grand Hotel Carnival; it was an impressive building on three levels with floodlit terraces that looked down over the canal.

Inside the doorway there was a vast stone-floored reception area filled with the buzz and laughter of hundreds of people.

Antonio’s arrival was greeted with an excited commotion
and as they made their way through the crowds everyone seemed to want to claim his attention and speak to him.

Finally they got to the entrance of the ballroom. Ornate crystal chandeliers dazzled the senses. On a stage to one side, an orchestra was playing a Viennese waltz, whilst on the dance floor people were spinning around to the swell of the music.

They were directed towards a red-carpeted stairway that led to an upper gallery and a private table.

‘This is a fantastic place,’ Victoria remarked as Antonio pulled out a chair for her.

He leaned closer and she could smell the scent of his cologne. It reminded her of the heat of his kiss, and sent her emotions racing. But she needed to forget all about that, she told herself crossly.

He nodded. ‘Yes, the building goes back to about the fifteenth century, I believe.’

Some waiters arrived with a magnum of champagne and placed two long-stemmed glasses down by the table.

They were going to pour the drink but Antonio dismissed them and reached to do it himself.

He raised his glass to hers. ‘To a successful evening,’ he said with a smile.

Some of the organizers came over to speak to him and he stood. ‘I’m going to have to go and do my bit,’ he told Victoria reluctantly. ‘I won’t be long.’

‘OK.’ She smiled and then leaned over the balcony to watch as he made his way downstairs and over towards the stage.

As he stood before the auditorium the music came to a crescendo and then stopped, and he was greeted with a tumultuous round of applause as everyone turned to look at him.

Victoria couldn’t understand a word he said, but she felt a delicious curling sensation of excitement as she listened to the sexy timbre of his Italian tones. It was an excitement she didn’t want to feel, and desperately she tried to shut it out, just as she tried to shut out the memory of that kiss. It shouldn’t
have happened. And if she allowed herself to get carried away with this situation she would just be storing up heartache. OK, Antonio thought she looked pretty tonight but that was just a whimsical passing moment on his part—he wasn’t interested in the real her.

She watched as an attractive woman joined him onstage. She had long blonde hair and wore a dress that left little of her perfect body to the imagination.

Even a woman as beautiful as that would stand little chance of capturing Antonio’s heart, she realized. He wasn’t interested in commitment; he’d made that very clear right from the start. It was probably the main reason he had chosen to marry her—because he didn’t want anyone who would get carried away with the role. So allowing reality to blur now would be a vast mistake and could only end in heartache. And she’d been there and got that particular T-shirt.

The auditorium was erupting into applause now as the woman kissed Antonio on both cheeks and they stepped down from the stage. Immediately Antonio made his way back to her, but it was a slow process as people kept stopping him to talk to him. Finally he reached the steps and returned to his chair. ‘It is a very successful night, I think.’

She smiled and raised her glass. ‘Well, it sounded good, but do I get a private translation?’

‘Now that is a suggestion I like the sound of.’

The husky teasing tone made her blush and he laughed. ‘We’ve exceeded last year’s charity total by almost double. So it is a good night for the trust.’

‘What charity is it for?’

‘Children who are terminally ill. It’s a cause that’s close to my heart as I had a younger sister, Maria, who died of leukaemia when she was just six.’

‘I didn’t realize…I’m so sorry!’ She looked at him in consternation.

‘It happened over twenty-four years ago.’ He smiled.
‘They’ve made tremendous strides in treating the disease now. I think she would have made a recovery if it had been in today’s world.’

‘It must have been a terrible time.’

‘Yes, it was, particularly for my mother.’ For a moment he looked serious, the handsome features lost in thought. ‘Not so much for my father, though. He seemed to find solace very quickly in the arms of another woman.’

‘Grief affects people in different ways,’ she murmured softly.

He looked over at her and caught the gentle light of sympathy in her eyes. ‘Don’t waste your compassion on him, Victoria. Believe me, he’s not worth it.’

‘Actually, I was feeling sympathy for you,’ she said quietly.

‘Well, don’t.’ He frowned. ‘It’s a long time ago now.’

A long time ago but the scars still festered, she thought. ‘Have you tried to talk to your father about what happened?’

He gave a short cold laugh. ‘My father is not the type to talk about his feelings.’ He lifted his champagne and took a sip. ‘And yes, grief affects people in different ways—some people mourn and some people throw their families away.’ He put the glass down impatiently. ‘So let’s leave this subject, shall we?’

She nodded. Was the past the reason why he shunned commitment? she wondered. Had he watched his parent’s marriage fall apart and decided that there was no way he wanted to go through that?

‘Do you want to dance?’ he asked abruptly.

She looked down towards the floor. The orchestra were playing a slow number and couples were wrapped in each other’s arms. She would have loved to dance like that with Antonio, but as she looked back and met the darkness of his gaze she didn’t dare.

‘I think I’ll sit this one out, thanks.’

He looked at her quizzically. ‘Are you scared, Victoria?’

‘No! Why would I be scared?’

His gaze drifted over her thoughtfully, noticing the clear
radiance of her skin and the defiant sparkle of her eyes. ‘Sometimes I get the impression that someone did an almighty job of trying to crush your confidence.’

‘Oh, really! What is this?’ she countered, trying not to look in the slightest bit concerned. ‘I’ve tried to analyse you, so now you are getting your own back?’

He laughed, and this time his laughter was warm and genuine. ‘Maybe…’ He held out his hand. ‘Come on, come and dance. I dare you.’

She hesitated for a few seconds and then put her hand in his.

But it was a mistake. She knew as soon as they reached the dance floor and he gently pulled her closer that she should never have allowed him to provoke her into this.

Being held in his arms was too delicious. He made her feel cherished and protected…. He made her want him with a longing so deep that it hurt.

‘You see…nothing terrible has happened—no lightning strikes, or thunder rolls,’ he murmured, the teasing words soft against her ear.

Maybe not for him, she thought shakily. But it was taking all of her self-control not to turn her head and seek out his lips.

‘Not a storm in sight,’ she answered, closing her eyes. And for just a few precious moments she allowed herself to dream that Antonio really was her husband in every sense of the word. That it was safe to feel like this. Safe to lower her defences…
safe to love him
…

The thought made her pull away from him in shock. She didn’t want to start imagining things like that! ‘Antonio, I think I’ve had enough dancing,’ she said hurriedly.

He frowned. But before he could say anything else she had turned away from him and left the floor.

He caught up with her just before she could head back to their table and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her towards him. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing! I…I just can’t dance in these heels.’

He didn’t believe her. There was a note in her voice, a look in her eyes, that said much more than that, but there wasn’t a chance of pursuing the question as some friends who had organized the evening came over to say hello.

Antonio introduced Victoria and found that he enjoyed the look of stunned amazement on people’s faces when he told them she was his wife.

‘How could you keep a secret like this from us?’ He was chastised and congratulated in equal measure and Victoria was warmly welcomed. But it put an end to their evening alone, because after that everyone wanted to meet her and talk to her. And before he knew what was happening she was talking to one group and he was talking to another.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that although she checked her phone from time to time in case Sarah had been trying to reach her about Nathan, she seemed to be having a good time. Maybe she hadn’t been upset earlier, because all her conversations now were lively and full of fun. Everyone liked her, he noticed. Especially some of his bachelor friends who were hanging on her every word with open admiration in their eyes.

Where was the shy young woman he had met just over a week ago? he wondered sardonically. She seemed to have morphed into a sophisticated, confident and beautiful young woman right before his very eyes.

As soon as he could he excused himself and sought her out. ‘Having a good time?’

She smiled up at him. ‘I’m really enjoying myself. Your friends are all very nice.’

‘Yes, although I have to warn you there are a couple of my single friends over there that you can’t trust.’ He nodded towards the two men who had been asking her if she wanted to dance.

‘Womanisers like you, are they?’ She couldn’t resist the teasing question.

‘No, nothing like me,’ he said with a smile. ‘Because I’m a married man now, remember?’

‘Ah, yes, and counting down the days to freedom.’ She said the words as a joke, but they instantly jarred with her, and as their eyes met she wished that she hadn’t said them. But they were probably true, she reminded herself firmly, forcing herself to face facts. ‘So…how many days do you think that’s going to be?’

The question irritated him. ‘As many days and weeks as it takes.’

‘OK…I’m not complaining. I…just wondered.’ She looked up at him with those wide green eyes that were vulnerable and yet wary, and he felt a twist of some very strange emotion.

‘Come on, I think it’s time we called it a night. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough.’

She nodded.

It was a relief to follow him out of the packed room into the coolness of the night. And when she looked at her watch she found with a surprise that it was after midnight.

They strolled back along the quiet streets without saying much, and this time Antonio didn’t put an arm around her waist when they reached the bridge where he’d kissed her.